Great Album Openers

Off the top of my head:

Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan (Highway 61 Revisited)
Lust for Life - Iggy Pop (Lust for Life)
Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix (Are You Experienced?; re-release)
Beetlebum - Blur (Blur)
Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground (VU & Nico)
Astronomy Domine - Pink Floyd (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn)
Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones (Beggar's Banquet)
Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground - The White Stripes (White Blood Cells)
 
Yeah, but how much more awesome would The Real Thing be if they opened with Surprise, You're Dead! instead of From Out of Nowhere? The bell intro and overcharged tempo is a great attack.
 
Still no match for 16 Shells from a 30.6, In the Neighborhood, Frank's Wild Years & Just Another Sucker on the Vine. I'm not saying his album openers are necessarily bad but Tom transitions into his album material severely and doesn't leave much room for the listener to get acclimated to the album. I've always enjoyed the other material on them (especially Swordfishtrorabones).

I did forget about Bone Machine though, The Earth Died Screaming is absolutely glorious.
 
I never thought that Tom Waits' openers were anything spectacular , still don't, he fills out the middle of his albums with awesomeness though. Rain Dogs makes up for it with just about the most brilliant closer ever.
 
Beat that My Heart Skipped- Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip (Angles)
Like I Said... - The Blend (After What Came Before)
Open Mind- Blackfield (Blackfield)
Good Morning- Amyas (State of Mind)
I Wanna Be In The Calvary- Corb Lund (Horse Solider! Horse Solider!)
Dolls- Dark Lunacy (Devoid)
Truth- Devin Townsend (Infinity)
Born Dead Buried Alive- Hypocrisy (The Arrival)
Movin' On- The Interpestuals (ReviveR)
Ghosts of the Sun- Katatonia (Viva Emptiness)
T.I.A.- K'Naan (Troubador)
Lowtide- O'Death (Broken Hymns, Lirabs, and Skin)
Five SeconRAB- Peeping Tom (Peeping Tom)
WhT Do U WnT FRM Me?- Rehab (Graffiti The World)
My Dear Little Angle- The Smalls (My Dear Little Angle)
Hurable Narrator- Two Cow Garage (Speaking in Cursive)
Year of the Car Crash- Warsawpack (Gross Domestic Product)
 
I like "Singapore" a lot but overall I agree with you, his opening tracks are frequently some of the weakest on the album (I'm looking at you "Big in Japan"). It's like he wants to lower expectations before hitting you with the good shit.
 
One Of These Days - Meddle (Pink Floyd)
What's Going On? - S/T (Marving ***e)
Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Singles:Best of (Saint Etienne)
Angel Of Death - Raining Blood (Slayer)
 
the only one that springs to mind as punching you in the face is 'the Classical' from the Fall's ...you know the bloody album

And Sweet Leaf from Masters of Reality. At one time I genuinely thought that was about a nice lady :o:

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Thunder Road - Born To Run (Bruce Springsteen)
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin IV
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) - Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)
 
A few notable ones that come to mind..

Comus - Diana (First Utterance)
Genesis - Watcher of the Skies (Foxtrot)
Soft Machine - Facelift (Third)
Leaf Hound - Freelance Fiend (Growers of Mushroom)
Anglagard - Earthsmoke (Hybris)
Pure Reason Revolution - Aeropause (The Dark Third)
Tool - Stinkfist (Aenima)
Brother Ape - New Shangri-La (Shangri-La)
Yes - The Gates of Delirium (Relayer)
Toy Matinee - Last Plane Out (Toy Matinee)
 
Ooh, how about "Angel" from Massive Attack's album Mezzanine for one of the great album openers? Not only is the menacing mood of this song a great way to kick off the album but the dynamic of the song is so amazing for bringing you into the album. It starts with a simple, sort of mellow, beat and slowly turns into a ferocious monster stalking you from the shadows as you walk to your car in a secluded parking lot late at night.
 
That could've been a cool way to start it too, although the rest of the album might have sounded like kind of a letdown after that. I always liked they kind of built up to that song.

Speaking of the track order on that album, I never understood why they moved "Edge of the World" to the end of the album on the CD. I liked it so much better coming right after "Zorabie Eaters".
 
Agree. That album just gets better all the time. It's rare that I will call an album a masterpiece but Mezzanine definitely is one. A desert island disc for sure.
 
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Slayer - Hell Awaits
The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock
Tool - Stinkfist
 
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